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British Columbia’s Judicial Review Board has ruled against Richmond lawyer Hong Guo, who was found guilty of professional misconduct in connection with the theft of $7.5 million in client funds by his bookkeeper.
Guo has been suspended for the first time from running for law for a year. The LSBC brought the review application to dismiss him, arguing that it was the only reasonable punishment for his total misconduct.
In 2021, a legal society court found that Guo had failed to supervise his employees, failed to comply with trust accounting rules and had submitted blank checks signed with the bookkeeper, which was and embezzlement from customer trust funds.
The court found that in pursuit of the thefts, Guo misappropriated funds from other clients’ trust funds in order to complete pending real estate transactions.
Affected customers were ultimately compensated by Guo personally and through $4 million paid through an insurance policy.
The investigation into Guo’s misconduct began in 2018 while he was running for mayor of Richmond.
At the time, he defended himself on Twitter, explaining that it was two former employees – one of them his accountant – who stole the money from the trust account he accumulated by forging his signature. Guo said she reported the theft to the RCMP as soon as she found out about it.
The review board upheld the one-year suspension, which begins today, March 8, 2023. It also ordered Guo to enter into a practice supervision agreement when he returns to practice, meaning he will work under the supervision of another attorney.